We have to admit that we did not expect to find many poker players who call Alaska home. Alaska is by far the largest of all U.S. states by area, but it is also the third-least populous and most sparsely populated state.
The five most prominent winning poker players from Alaska have combined winnings of $4,543,536. These are those five Alaskan stars.
Adam Hendrix is the biggest winner from Alaska
Adam Hendrix hails from Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska, apt because he is the state’s biggest winner. Hendrix has $1,767,264 in live poker tournament winnings despite first cashing in 2016.
Hendrix enjoyed his first six-figure haul at the 2017 World Series of Poker. He jetted off to Las Vegas, Nevada, and finished second in a $1,500 PLO8 event for $137,992.
Another six-figure prize, $131,001, came at the 2019 WSOP. Hendrix finished fifth in a $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Double Stack event. Hendrix was full of confidence following that WSOP final table and used some of his winnings to buy into the €1,100 EPT National event in Barcelona. A second-place finish there saw him scoop €346,500 ($384,231).
Perry Green is a poker legend from Alaska
Perry Green of Fairbanks, Alaska, is a true poker legend. Green’s first two recorded cashes were WSOP bracelet victories! He won the $1,000 Ace to Five Draw in 1976 and the $5,000 Ace to Five Draw in 1977. Green did not win a bracelet in 1978 but banked his third a year later in a $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event.
1981 saw Green almost win the WSOP Main Event. He ultimately finished second to the late Stu Ungar and had to make do with a $150,000 prize. This is still his largest poker haul.
Green is now 85-years-old and has not cashed in a live event since June 2018. We would love him to appear at the 2021 WSOP and add to his $1,124,024 winnings.
Sean Berrios is a WSOPC ring winner haling from Alaska
Sean Berrios of Anchorage, Alaska, has $762,261 in winnings from 33 cashes. It did not take Berrios long to secure a five-figure score; his fourth cash did that. Berrios won $18,091 from a deep run in the 2014 Millionaire Maker. He won an additional $57,536 a couple of weeks later for a fourth-place finish in a $1,500 Limit Hold’em event.
Berrios’ fixed-limit prowess showed at the 2016 WSOP when he finished second in a $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship. He locked up a $179,625 payday, which came six months after winning a $1,675 WSOPC event in Nevada for a WSOPC ring and a career-best $347,192.
Jim Ward closes in on $500,000 in winnings
There must be something in the water in Alaska that makes its poker players shine in the WSOP Main Event. Jim Ward is another WSOP Main Event finalists; he finished fourth in 1990. That finish netted Ward $91,850, which is still his largest-ever poker score. $835,000 would have made its way to his bank account had he gone on and won the tournament.
Most of Ward’s play came between 1986 and 2000. He has rarely been seen after then, perhaps due to his age. Here is hoping Ward is still in good health.
Young Ji is a WSOP bracelet winner
Young Ji lives in Anchorage, Alaska, but spends a lot of time in Las Vegas following his poker dream. Ji’s first cash was in 2009, yet he still has $402,805 in live winnings. More than half that total, $231,102 to be exact, came from an impressive result in 20015. Ji won the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better event for $231,102. That was no mean feat because the final table housed the likes of Mark Dube, Connor Drinan, Bryce Yockey, George Danzer, and the awesomely named Prince of Docness.
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Matthew Pitt
If it’s something you can play online for real money, chances are Matthew knows a bit about it. He’s been writing about slots, craps and poker for the better part of the last decade. He’s written for PokerNews, PartyPoker and many other respected online gambling websites during the last nine years.